General Update #31

3:14 p.m. - Nurse's aide arrived to take Joyce's vitals. Oxygen levels at 95%. Body temperature at 98.1 degrees. Blood pressure reading is 122/75, pulse is 68. 

3:38 p.m. - Alicia, one of the other nurses, arrived to place an IV into Joyce. It was decided to move Joyce back to bed for this process. IV setup was unsuccessful, with technician giving up at 3:53 p.m. to go request a "vein finder" device. Assuming dehydration the cause for difficulties. Joyce's oxygen levels went down, due to her tensing from being poked with the IV needle. Tech asked Joyce to continue practicing deep breathing. Dusty continued working with Joyce to practice deep breathing. Joyce continues to want to hyperventilate with quick, shallow breathing.

4:11 p.m. - Nurse Becky arrived to check on Joyce, offered to get her back into the chair. Joyce declined. Becky asked about Joyce's overall pain levels. Joyce indicated some pain and Becky said she would go get another Tramadol for Joyce to take. Becky asked Joyce about her current levels of nausea and Joyce indicated that she would have to take something (food?) to find out. Becky summoned a nurse's aid to assist her with adjusting Joyce's bed to make her more comfortable and swap blankets. Stocker, the nurse's aide who helped Alicia with IV insertion attempts, explained to Becky outside of Joyce's room in the hallway (when Becky asked why Joyce was back in the bed as she should be in the chair to assist with her breathing) that Joyce was moved to the bed to aid with IV insertion and that they did not return Joyce to the recliner as the IV wasn't inserted yet. Stocker explained to Becky that Alicia was going to return with the "vein finder" and so Joyce was left in the bed for this reason and not returned to the recliner. Becky accepted this, noting that Joyce should be upright in the chair to aid with her breathing.

4:18 p.m. - Room service arrived to take Joyce's dinner order. Joyce stated that she did not want any dinner. Hostess tried to suggest alternatives. Joyce asked for toast, Dusty reminded Joyce that she had difficulty could not eat her toast last time it was ordered. Dusty suggested soup. Joyce asked for a drinkable soup. Hostess suggested broth and Joyce consented. Also was talked into ordering half a banana. Dinner will be delivered closer to 6 p.m.

4:21 p.m. - Nurse Becky returned with Tramadol (Becky used the word "Tylenol" for this interaction) for Joyce, asked if Joyce felt like dinner. Joyce informed Becky that dinner was just ordered but would not arrive until 6 p.m. Becky asked if Joyce would eat some crackers or something now as she did not want Joyce to take the medicine on an empty stomach. Joyce consented to eating crackers and/or a half a banana now to take the medicine. Becky departed to find crackers and/or half a banana.

4:29 p.m. - Oxygen levels at 93%. Joyce fell asleep in the bed.

4:36 p.m. - Becky returned with hot prune juice and senna laxative pills for Joyce to drink to encourage bowel movement to occur. Not wanting to have Joyce become nauseated and vomit, she is delaying giving the pain reliever until later on. 

Message(s) from Joyce:
"I want to stop hurting." (4:16 p.m.)

Current location:
Gritman Medical Center, Room 202.

Current pain level:
Unknown.

Visiting information:
No change from previous post.
Confirmed with nurse's station shift leader at 11:05 a.m. (on 6/6/2020) - currently only 1 visitor per day for Joyce, no exceptions. Once current visitor departs Joyce's room, no further visits for the rest of the day. No swapping out visitors (example, Dusty cannot remain on hospital grounds while Craig goes to sit with Joyce for an hour and then Dusty returns to room).

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